Saris on display at The Bridal Show in City Centre. Picture by Rashbehari Das

Unique Thewa jewellery from Jaipur, saris with intricate Kashmiri embroidery, contemporary wedding cards, interactive beauty counters and a free mehndi session.

The Bridal Show, a one-stop wedding destination witnessed all this and more during its three days at City Centre. Housed under one roof at the Royal Bengal Hall, this exhibition attracted “phenomenal footfall”, according to organisers

“The Bridal Show has, in fact, surpassed all our expectations and the response was tremendous,” said Rohit Saraogi, CEO, Media Creations, the event managers. The footfall count peaked on Sunday with “more than 5,000” guests.

Boasting more than 30 participants from all over the country, the show had several high points. And Calcutta responded positively to some of the unique fare on offer.

While Sonia Mahajan’s interpretation of traditional Kashmiri works on crepes and georgettes invited a number of curious buyers, the original Thewa art from Rajasthan also found takers.

“Thewa is the traditional art of fusing 23-karat gold with processed, multi-coloured glass and is a well-guarded secret with a single family in Marwar,” explained Rajendra Singh of Jusra International Jewels.

M. Walters & Co had an exciting collection of jewels, too. “High-end diamonds are combined with semi-precious stones. Burmese rubies and emeralds are other pieces that did well,” says Premal Mehta of M. Walters.

Some other jewel brands that drew eager customers were Lodha Jewellers, Jewel Palace, Abhushan, Goyal Jewels, Ornate Jewels and Ravi Agarwal. SH Mumtazuddin’s exotic collection of Swarovski encrusted watches in white and black was also greatly appreciated.

Linens and beddings by Swayam, Dawn to Dusk and Koncepts lent a festive ambience to the exhibition hall.

That apart, a few brands took that extra step to create an individual aura. Koncepts, for example, had recreated an entire bedroom, complete with cabinets and all!

The show also provided a platform for upcoming artisans and the Aartz stall that housed a wide array of brass gift items seemed quite an attraction. Silver-polished brassware moved off the racks in large numbers.

Interesting curios by Silver Leaf and beauty products by Activor and Beauty Concepts also went down well with shoppers.

The garment section, looking all bright and colourful, displayed some interesting ideas. “We have put together saris that amalgamate various design themes like bandhni, plain panels and zardosi,” said Naina Jain of Bandhej. Other participants included Indu Newar, Daar-e-aab, Lustrouz, Kasturi, Renu Dadhlani and Sawaria Sarees.

Accessories by Dress Den and wedding services by Fashion & Lifestyle were popular, too. Young couples could also get their honeymoon packages designed by “specialists” Gainwell.

Many new trends were thrown up in the cards section with the shift from traditional to trendy all too evident here.

“Though the colour palette is still very traditional, designs have surely come a long way,” said Pawas Shah of Monkey Wrench. “The Ganesha has given way to smart floral patterns.”

While outstation buyers dropped by in large numbers, Media Creations pegged the noon slot as “busiest”.

The casual walk-ins were high during the morning hours but if you had half-an-hour to spare, you could always sit down for a free mehndi session by Singh Mehndi Industries.

Calcutta exhibition over, the organisers are already busy planning the next destination.

“Siliguri and Guwahati are in the pipeline but we will announce the dates only later this month,” said Rohit.